The 10th Seoul International Harmonica Festival Opens on August 2

At Yeongdeungpo Art Hall and Hi Seoul Youth Hostel for Three Days

The "10th Seoul International Harmonica Festival" will be held from August 2 to 4 in the Yeongdeungpo district of Seoul.

The Seoul International Harmonica Festival was established in 2013 to enhance the status of Korean harmonica music and promote its development. Recognized for its credibility both domestically and internationally, the festival attracts performers from all over the world, including the United States, China, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and Iran, as well as participants from across Korea. They compete with their honed skills and create a stage united by music.

On the first day of the festival, August 2, a gala concert featuring famous harmonica players will be held at 7 p.m. at the Yeongdeungpo Art Hall.

The concert will begin with a performance by Yuanmao Wang from China, who won the grand prize at last year’s competition, followed by performances from Kim Kyung-hee (Korea), Yasuo Watani (Japan), Redbricks (Hong Kong), and Filip Jers (Sweden).

At the same venue on August 3 at 7 p.m., a "Peace Concert" will be held. Korean harmonica player Kim Chang-sik and the Magic Harmonica Ensemble from China will take the stage.

On the final day of the festival, August 4 at 7 p.m., a "Crossover Concert" will be held. Performers active in various contemporary music genres such as jazz, classical, and pop music will present a stage that transcends boundaries and communicates with artists from other genres.

During the festival, a competition program will also take place. The competition is divided into nine categories: gospel solo, chromatic solo, jazz solo, blues solo, duo, trio, ensemble, small group, and large group. Participants are further classified by age into children, youth, adult, and senior divisions. The highest scorer in each category and age group will receive the grand prize, and first, second, third places, as well as encouragement awards, will be given in each category and age group.

During the festival, the Yeongdeungpo Hi Seoul Youth Hostel will host harmonica-related exhibitions and clinics. Engineers from world-renowned harmonica manufacturers will provide free inspections of instruments brought by visitors and offer simple repair and maintenance tips. Participating manufacturers include Tombo, Hohner, Easttop, Weissenberg, and Cosmos.

Every morning during the festival, a master class will be held in the Half Moon Hall on the 2nd floor of the Hi Seoul Youth Hostel, and a lunchtime concert will take place daily from 1:30 p.m. for 30 minutes in the Diamond Hall on the basement level 1.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.